In today's business world, reliable and efficient access to information has become an important asset in the quest to achieve a competitive advantage. In the business environment, file cabinets and mountains of papers have given way to computers that store and manage information electronically. Coworkers thousands of miles apart can share information instantaneously, just as hundreds of workers in a single location can simultaneously review research data maintained online.
Computer network technologies are the glue that binds these elements together. The public Internet allows businesses around the world to share information with each other and their customers. The global computer network known as the World Wide Web provides services that let consumers buy books, clothes, and even cars online, or auction those same items off when no longer wanted.
During the operations of a computing device, there are intervals of time when the device is not in use. For many, at the end of a workday, the computing device is simply turned off. Further, devices are equipped with technology that will detect an extended period of inactivity. At the detection of this inactivity, the device will automatically go into a hibernate or power save mode in order to save power. Detection of activity such as the movement of an I/O device or the entering of a character via a connected keyboard I/O device can cause the computing device to come out of the hibernated state.
In some instances, it may be desirable to access a device on a computing network that is turned off or is in a hibernate state. In this case, providing the capability to start or wake up a computer from a remote location can facilitate remote access to a computer network (e.g., a LAN). This wake up feature is advantageous to a user desiring access to a computer from a remote location. This feature is also advantageous to a network administrator, allowing the administrator to perform, for example, maintenance activities on a computer system from a remote location.
A standard has been developed for allowing a network computer, which is in sleep mode to be awakened. More specifically, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) of Santa Clara, Calif., has developed a technology referred to as the Magic Packet technology. In the Magic Packet technology, assuming, for example, that an Ethernet controller is running and communicating with the network, the computer's power management hardware or software puts the Ethernet controller into the Magic Packet mode prior to the system going to sleep. Once in the sleep mode, the computer will be awakened when a Magic Packet is detected. That is, incoming data will be monitored until the specific sequence comprising the Magic Packet is detected. The Magic Packet technology and the associated standard (generally referred to as the Wakeon LAN standard) are well known in the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,111 incorporates wake up technology to manage power used by a network computer. In this system, a network computer receives a network card, such as a smart card, which includes a processor and storage for providing secure user information. Detecting the presence in the network computer of the network card and accessing the network card to obtain user specific information control the network computer. The power management of the network computer may then be controlled based upon the user specific information on the detailed network card. This system also provides user information to a network computer by storing user specific information on a network card that includes a processor and storage location such that information stored on the network card may only be accessed through the processor of the network card so as to provide secure data on the network card. The network card may then be provided to a network computer and accessed to obtain user specific information independent of the network connections of the network computer. User identification information, which may be encrypted, is stored on the network card and validated to permit access to the network computer. User activity may be tracked or monitored, including transitions between and time spent in power modes, to establish power management preferences for a user on the network. The network computer may be activated and deactivated by the detected presence or absence of the network card or smart card, so that the network card may act as an intelligent “power on” for the network computer.
Although U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,111 provides advancements in wake up technology, this system has limitations. This system does not allow any transmission of data while the computer is powered off, unless the smart card is manually and physically plugged into a computer to manually transfer the data. This system monitors when certain accounts put a computer into certain modes, such as standby power off, power on, hibernate, etc. The card has to be inserted into a special port and information is transferred to the computer central processing unit. Also inserting the smart card could be a way to power on a computer, providing another security mechanism for multi-user computers. Using their card you could accurately document who used which computer and when the use occurred.
Although wake up technology can provide the ability to access a computer from a remote location, in some instances, there is a need to do maintenance or administrative activities on a computing device that is attached to a network but is turned off or in a hibernate state. The current approach is to turn on the computing device prior to initiating the maintenance or administrative activities. This approach is very time consuming and inefficient. There remains a need for a method, system and device that can allow administrative activities on a hibernating or power off computing device without the need to power on the device prior to the initiation of the activity. These activities can include the transmission of certain information from the computing during the hibernate state.